🍾 Pop-up bicycle lanes have been a significant trend in urban mobility during the Covid-19 pandemic. Cities that were quick to implement such lanes were able to promote alternative mobility options in a way that would have been almost impossible under “normal” circumstances.
📺 Recently, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) hosted a webinar featuring two case studies of pop-up bike lanes that became permanent fixtures: one in Guadalajara and Zapopan, Mexico, and the other in Bengaluru, India.
🎯 Here are some of the main points I took away from the Guadalajara and Zapopan case:
🚲 Temporary lanes were set up during the pandemic, which later became permanent.
🚲 These lanes were about 1.8 meters wide, part of roads with multiple lanes and relatively high speeds, requiring clear separation between the paths and the lanes.
🚲 The temporary measures such as separation poles later advanced to include landscaping and concrete. Eventually, the network grew to 100 kilometers, representing a 100% increase.
🚲 However, this progress was not without opposition. Some vehicle owners opposed the creation of bike lanes, leading to demonstrations to express their resistance.
🚲 Despite this, the lanes received 45% support from non-riders, and the number of female riders increased by 41% between 2021-2022.
🚲 This success was largely attributed to cooperation between local authorities and the Ministry of Construction’s extensive community outreach and engagement efforts.